Em, 18

I got birth control at age 14. I lived away from parents, at boarding school. There were no parental consent laws in my state, and I got treated very well at the family planning center.

Because I was 14, I had no money. My $50 shots became $15 because of government funding. I also got accurate information about my sexual health there, and got a government-covered HPV preventive shot.

Today, my story is in danger of not being told by the generations beneath me. My state has pending laws requiring parental consent to get prescriptions of any kind (including birth control and treatment for STIs). Planned Parenthood and Family Planning centers are under attack and at risk of having government funding cut from them. This is a disaster for all young women.

I am pro-choice so that my story can be the norm for all young adults in this country.